Victor
by mricj
Summary: Pregnancy brain is a real thing and, right now, it's trying to convince Elena to name her son Francis.


"Y'know. At this point-" Climbing inside the car, Elena breathes out. Never once in her life, she has been so… exhausted, and not even bouncing from continent to continent can be compared to… _this._ Sure, Elena's older than most first time moms, but never once she's expected her body to remind her of it. _Constantly_, "- I really hope we're having a daughter."

Even as much as getting inside the car leaves Elena breathless. Sweating. She hasn't even managed to buckle herself up when, one second later, Nate's inside and starting the car.

She envies him. Sort of.

"Ah," And from the corner of Elena's eyes, she can see her husband frowning at the odd comment, "Mothers… and daughters. It's… a special bond. Or something. Right?"

"Or something," She scoffs, placing one of her hands on her stomach before rubbing it. Both of her sisters have children and Elena considers herself a great auntie, but nothing can be compared to experiencing pregnancy firsthand: and as it turns out, pregnancy brain is real and, right now, it's trying to convince Elena naming her son Francis is a great idea, "I don't mind Cassandra, but at this point, I'm not sure if I can come up with anything but Francis and-"

"What's wrong with Francis?!" It isn't surprising, but as soon as Elena says it, Nate's cutting her off, "It's a perfectly reasonable name-"

"- Of course it is!" She laughs, and can barely keep herself from doing so as she continues. This is nothing but bantering, the sort of thing Elena's used to after being married for so long, "He'll be born looking as old as Sully, but-"

"- It's the name of my ancestor!"

Months ago, soon after announcing her pregnancy, Sam suggested both names, and although Cassandra- Cassie, for short- is one of Elena's favorite, she can't say the same for Francis. Not only is it an old fashioned and outdated name, but she also doesn't remember ever meeting someone named Francis, let alone a_ baby_, of all people.

Elena loves the idea of keeping the memory of Nate's mom alive, but Francis…

… Well, Francis is out of the question. Elena'd never get used to it, and doubts the baby would, either.

"- And I'm sure it suited him fine," She tries to keep her voice even, to sound as if she's the voice of reason and is doing nothing but trying to get her husband to see the light, but Nate knows her better, "... In 1540."

At first, he has his eyes on the road, and then he's looking at her before being back to the road again, and the more reasonable she sounds, the more offended Nate seems to get. He's frowning and has his mouth hanging open, even. Watching him for a moment, Elena studies his expression, and before she knows it, she's bursting into giggles.

"Fine, then," In the end, Nate concedes, trying (and failing) to hide his smile, "Be like that."

"Can you blame me?"

"Everyone's a critic," Under his breath, Nate mumbles to himself, and Elena almost can't hear it. Louder and more seriously now, he adds, "Do you have any suggestions, at least?"

"None," And the moment Elena says it, Nate opens his mouth to argue back, but this time around, it's her turn to cut him off, "But Francis isn't it."

A comfortable silence sets in, almost embracing both of them. Almost.

"Well. I guess we could… name him Victor," Suddenly, Nate's talking again, dragging the word out, as if he doesn't want to say it. Neither of them is joking anymore, and Elena does know that much.

"Victor, huh?" And at the suggestion, she brushes her fingers against Nate's cheek. He leans into her touch, and Elena's lips curve into a smile. The thought of getting emotional makes him uncomfortable, and for once, she lets it slide. Teasing, she continues. "We aren't getting that dog, then?"

After coming back from Madagascar, she and Nate decided to pull the trigger and get some marriage counseling, and at this point in their lives, of their relationship, Libertalia hasn't been a sore spot for months. Elena has heard about most of it - about Sam and their childhood, about their mom and the orphanage… and something about a dog both of them are supposed to be getting.

Or is it a lemur? She still isn't sure about that one.

"C'mon, 'lena. For once I'm being serious," Frustrated, Nate scoffs. "_That's_ the perfectly reasonable name you've been looking for."

"I know," Elena says, because, jokes aside, she agrees. Once again, she finds herself rubbing her stomach, and things are different this time around: she can feel the baby placing their feet against her bump, almost as if she's trying to push Elena away. "I like it."

And so Victor it is, then.


End file.
